Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

जय विश्वेश नेत्राणि विनिमील्य वदन्नपि । ततः किंचित्क्षणं दध्यौ गुहः स्थाणुसुनिश्चलः

Transliteration

jaya viśveśa netrāṇi vinimīlya vadannapi | tataḥ kiṃcitkṣaṇaṃ dadhyau guhaḥ sthāṇusuniścalaḥ

Translation

“ജയ വിശ്വേശ!” എന്നു പറയുമ്പോഴും ഗുഹ (സ്കന്ദൻ) കണ്ണുകൾ അടച്ചു; തുടർന്ന് ക്ഷണമാത്രം ധ്യാനത്തിൽ ലീനനായി, സ്ഥാണു (ശിവൻ) പോലെ പരമനിശ്ചലനായി നിന്നു।

Word by Word

• जय: O Jaya
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; vocative singular

• विश्वेश: O Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; vocative singular

• नेत्राणि: eyes
• नेत्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), बहुवचन; accusative plural

• विनिमील्य: having closed
• विनिमील्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-√मील् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); having closed

• वदन्: speaking
• वदन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमान कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; present active participle, nominative singular

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); also/even

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); from then/thereafter

• किंचित्: a little
• किंचित्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम/अव्ययप्राय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन; indeclinable-like pronoun used adjectivally: 'a little'

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular (duration)

• दध्यौ: he meditated/reflected
• दध्यौ: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular perfect

• गुहः: Guha (Kārttikeya)
• गुहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; nominative singular

• स्थाणु-सु-निश्चलः: very motionless like a pillar
• स्थाणु-सु-निश्चलः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of गुहः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक) + सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + निश्चल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: 'स्थाणुरिव सु-निश्चलः' (very motionless like a pillar)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī) / Viśveśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda (Guha) utters ‘Jaya Viśveśa’, then closes his eyes and becomes motionless in brief meditation, evoking Śiva’s immovable stillness; a quiet sacred ambience of Kāśī is implied.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśa (Viśveśvara/Śiva)
• Guha (Skanda)
• Sthāṇu (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True praise of Viśveśvara culminates in inner stillness—devotion naturally ripens into meditation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Avimukta-kṣetra, the domain of Viśveśvara, introduced here as the subject of the coming māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse models dhyāna (contemplative stillness) alongside śiva-stuti (praise of Śiva).